These are great resources - crisis management is so important - not just pausing socials but making sure if posts are made they are respectful. Nothing worse that those who immediately post using trending hashtags around a sensitive topic just for the views.
I’ve been talking about this subject with clients on a regular basis over the years. Nothing really prepares you for bad news, especially when it comes out of the blue. But having an experienced, professional to guide you through difficult times is part of the added-value that we bring. Clients often don’t really appreciate this until they need it.
The death of Her Majesty The Queen was certainly a time when my clients felt they didn’t know what to do or how to respond as a business. In today’s 24-hour ‘always on’ mode of marketing, no-one wants to appear crass or insensitive, but unfortunately some brands were slated for their poorly thought-out responses.
It’s definitely worth having at least an annual review with clients about crisis management.
For an annual review with clients around crisis management, I often collate some examples to show at the meeting. I cover what happens to brands when things get horribly out of control and go through the timeline to see if the client can spot where it went wrong and what they would do differently. I also build a ‘disaster event’ calendar - with a bit of imagination and storytelling, we cover the worst-case scenarios. Some are very specific to the location and industry of the client and others are wider-reaching like the death of Head of State or a natural disaster.
It’s worth saying that there’s a fine line between ‘doom-mongering’ and a healthy dose of realism.
It’s actually quite an interesting exercise and one that always brings a great deal of conversation and debate.
We cover aspects of which crises affect the client the most, what responses are considered tone-deaf, and how to look around and take stock of a situation before making a knee-jerk reaction. Then, of course, there are the practical elements of how to pause all outgoing posts (would be great if AP had a Pause All Emergency Button), how to create relevant images and copy for social media, newsletters, websites etc. Plus how to answer emotionally charged comments tactfully.
Love this Joanna. I’ve included risk/crisis management into my work with clients. I did relate to your “doom mongering” vs realism! I’ve come across those who just say “its no big deal” when there has been negative comments made online or comments which are definitely tone deaf, which I can see are ready to spiral. These are non- clients but reaching out to them as a bit of a heads up (I dont do a sell ) and several times I’ve seen advice ignored and then it blows up for them!
